The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1887-11-03

| SiiAe'iA '" "e"y Ot oeAo Sy 0COuI VI oellIuS
and buying together. 1t has grown
and spread and developed until now
we have 1874 organized counties in our
State, with membership of 25l,OOO,
and State Alliance, oficered and
fully equipped to manage the business
and look after the interests of this
large body of members"
Q. "To what do you ascribe the
rapid growth of your order in Texas?'
A. at is due to several causes, but
it may be briefly stated, that the great
depression in agricultural interests
the utter helplessness of the farmers
to control the products of their labor
the general system of servile de-
pendence which was gradually but
surely fastening itself upon us. These
crushing evils were growing upon US
and excited deep concern, if not alarm
among our thinking farmers, and they
were anxiously looking for relief so,
they were not only ready, but anx-
ious, to adopt such measures of relief
as are offered by the Alliance hence
they went into it by hundreds and
thousands" "
@. "Is your order, in any sense, a
political organization Z"
A. "In a partisan sense. No.
There are important reasons why it
cannot be- The Alliance is of neces-
sity secret order, and we know that
party politics introduced into a secret
business organization would kill it,
then we could not belong to any order
that would require us to keep our po-
litical principles or action a secret.
Of course we not only tolerate but we
encourage and require our members to
study the science of economic govern
ment It is business and not po-
litical organization"
O. "You say it is of necessity a
secret order will you please explain
why 2"
A. "Simply to secure success. We
are learning some lessons from other
interests and other classes. One of
the most important lessons is, that to
succeed in any business the plans and
methods to be employed in it's prose
eutions are not to be made public.
Merchants, banks, railroads, corpora
tions of any kind do not throw open
their plans and purposes to the world,
if they did they would never succeed.
We the farmers of the South, must
adopt the same wise precautions. We
are secret order simply because the
recognized successful systems of our
age admonish us that it is the road to
success in all business enterprise. The
only secrets, I am free to say, that we
have, are our business plans and some
machinery by which we protect our
selves against imposition"
Q "Who are eligible to member
ship in your order ?'
A. "I will quote the language of
our Constitution on this subject and
he read as follows: "Farmers, farm
laborers, mechanics country physic-
ians, (not engaged in the drug bust
messy and ministers of the gospel. All
persons becoming members must be
of good moral character, believe in the
existence of Supreme Being, be Of
industrious habits-must be a white
person and over the age of l6 years.
Q. "Does your order in any way
conflict with the Grange, the Agricul-
tural Wheel, or the Farmers Clubs?"
A. ct does not, but is in thorough
accord with the general purposes Of
all these organizations. Indeed, the
Wheel in Arkansas, Tennessee, Ken
lucky and Missouri, have adopted our
work, and now affiliate fully with us.
The Farmers Union of Louisiana and
The Farmer Relief in Mississippi, have
adopted our work"
Q. 'What is your aggregate mem
bership, and chiefly in what terri
tory p 49,. .....t |
A. "About 100000, chiefly in
eight Southern States"
Q. care you not affiliated with the
Alliance of the Northwest p
A. ave are not That was origi- |
mated in Chicago, by Milton George, |
a brother of the noted Henry George. |
Theirs is an open political organiza-
ton, and there is not, nor can there |
be, any afiliation between us"
Q. How was your order received by |
the press and the business men of your